King Crimson is an Imperial Red Ale that delivers a royal bounty of luscious, fruity American hops on top of a sturdy, deep red malt backbone. This beer is lavishly dry-hopped with Simcoe, adding a citrusy and piney flavor and aroma to the toasty, sweet malt notes. This special treat is a very limited Winter release, so enjoy it while you can!

On sale for 2.99 at the local liquor store so I figured it was worth a shot. Bomber poured into a pint glass.

Appearance: Reddish brown with about an inch of pale tan head, which settled down after a few moments. No lacing on the glass, and medium carbonation in the beer.

Smell: Resinous hop aroma with alcohol in the nose.

Taste: Pleasantly surprising as reds aren't always a style I enjoy - very forward with the hop taste with a decent malt body, hints of warming alcohol. The dry hopping, I think, covers up some of the sourness/flatness I find the malt bills of some red ales/ryes.

Mouthfeel: Good amount of carbonation lightens up a medium to full body, which would otherwise be bordering on syrupy.

Overall: I really enjoyed this beer at the price I got it at, and would say it's worth a try even at the full retail. A big beer that does a good job of staying balanced and tasting like a more full and flavorful version (not just a more alcoholic) version of its style. Will buy some more the next time I'm back.

Pours a nice clear mahogany with a fairly thick, if not persistent, light tan head. Inviting aroma is malty with a good overtone of apple and cloves and a subtle earthy note. Luscious flavor has a malty core and tones of wood, caramel, fruit (mostly apple), nuts and spice and just a touch of bitterness. Full-bodied smooth texture has a raspy fizz that leaves a nice edgy finish. Long live the king!

Peak Organic King Crimson is a cloudy, dull red ale with a big, fluffy, yellowish head that has outstanding retention and lacing. It has a smooth, grainy malt aroma. It smells like caramel with just a hint of sweetness. Spicy and grassy hops are present. It's pretty full bodied and very smooth. The finish is dry and chewy. It tastes very malty with a good dose of melanoids. There's perhaps a touch of sweetness and a resiny quality. A grassy, herbal bitterness comes in at the finish along with alcohol warmth. This is kind of like a doppelbock, but an ale. It's flavorful and satisfying.

A deep red almost brown body with about a finger of tan head. It dissipates down to a thin layer of lace. Extremely malty nose with a pungent earthy hop aroma. Brown sugar and some citrus bounce around as well. The taste is toasty and sweet. Some dark, earthy fruit notes balanced with a citrus tang. Steep transition from sugary sweet to citrus/pine bitterness. As the beer warms up the abv become apparent and leaves a subtle burn on the finish. Drank smooth and the beginning but got rougher as I went along.

This pours a murky reddish brown, muddy creek water look, red hues in the right light, about a 2 finger head that rings and slimes its way around the glass, and lots of visible sediment floating around. This looks like its gonna be great. Thick bready fruit-malts on the nose, followed by a spice and floral hops, alcohol plums make their way into the mix as well giving it a more wine like scent. Sugary malts on the tongue with a touch of the spice and the hops. This is very sweet and the hops on the end give it a bitter bang. Medium bodied, bitter and dry on the finish. Overall i can dig this beer, it was pretty decent, may try again for the right price.

S: I was surprised at the hop presence this beer offers right off the bat - earthy pine and citrus rind with some toasted grain and sweet malt in the mix as well.

T: Like the aroma, the flavor yielded a good amount of hop that was noticeable from start to finish. The dominant flavor however was malty, with a hint of fresh roasted coffee, dark chocolate and raisins.

M/D: Medium to full bodied that is a bit syrupy and tough to get through towards the end of my glass, well carbonated for the style and the lingering bitterness from the hop is nice.

Amazing balance and drinkability for such a big beer. This imperial red almost ventures into strong ale territory but still manages to maintain a surprisingly high drinkability. Very well done. One of the best beers I've enjoyed all year.

The beer pours a deep amber/red color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is great! It has a rich crystal and roasted malt scent along with a very nice hop aroma. It's warm and malty with plenty of citrus hop appeal. The taste is good. It has a rich, malty flavor that's sweet with caramel malts yet bitter as hell with lots of citrus hops. There is a touch of toasted malt character that lends itself to a dry, roasted finish. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a full bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a terrific red ale. It's complex in both the malt and hop makeup.

Poured into an imperial pint glass. Color was a nice dark reddish brown with a small amount of carbonation. Head was 1 finger light brown/dirty white foam that clung reasonably well. Aroma was slightly sweet, with a fair bit of hops of front. Definite reminded me of a brown bread. Hops were the strong flavoring. A bit of bread sweetness followed it, with a very small lactose sweetness at the very end. A bit over acidic in the mouth, but coated very nicely. Overall it was a fairly well balanced and solid beer.

A red that I liked, akin in taste to a barleywine.Some fruitiness, apricot tanginess. Rich malting. Reddish colour. Above average looks and mouthfeel. Caramel. Nice hop bitterness. Very drinkable. Very good for the style. Fresh bottle at Premiere Gourmet.

A - Beautiful amber shade (pretty much the same color as the label) with 1 inch of off-white head. Fantastic retention that carries throughout the session and heavy lacing.

S - Wonderful aromas that are true to the style. Citrusy hop esters and licorice come to mind with a nice syrupy malt finish.

T - Very heavy and flavorful malt backbone with a plethora of fruity hops. The label says "lavishly dry-hopped" in addition to the wet-hopping and it is pretty blatant. Wonderful fruity sweetness balanced by Simcoe dry-hopping bitterness.

M - Pretty full-bodied brew, especially for an amber. The dominant citrusy character from the hops clashes with the strong malty facet...everything is in full force.

O - Overall this is in my top 3 favorite ambers and probably my favorite imperial amber. It is outdone by Nugget Nectar because NN has much less alcohol, yet it pretty much reaches the same level of flavor and hop character that Crimson achieves. You can also drink a 6-pk of NN whereas only one of these bombers would nearly put me over the top.

Poured from a 22oz, no date, into my Duvel tulip. Very dark coagulated blood color. Two fingers of stiff off-white head. A lot of sweet caramely malt scents on the nose. A little bit of tart citrus. Touch o pine. Nice rich caramely, quasi-chocolate malty flavor with a big bitter punch on the finish. Definitely on the sweet side of the red spectrum. 9% is barely evident. A pretty decent bang for your buck beer.

A-Pours a somewhat hazy dark garnet color with a one inch light beige head that has good retention and leaves rings of lace all the way down.

S-Nose is subdued but pleasant. Pine and citrus hops with bready malt that is slightly sweet. If the nose was more prominent I'd be inclined to take this one up a half point or more.

T-Big citrus hop bite leads with a slightly resinous kick coming in midway, a touch of booze, sweet caramel malt makes its presence known mid palate and hangs through the finish and lingers into the aftertaste to accompany a bitter hop bite once again at the finish. The flavor profile reminds me of a Stone beer (and I say that not in a bad way-I love Stone).

M-Medium body and carbonation, slightly slick and oily mid-palate, but the finish is dry.

A - Pours with one finger of light tan foam that rests on top of an amber-brown body with good clarity. The head settles slowly and leaves moderate lace on the glass.

S - Pungent hop aroma, some grapefruit with lots of pine and sweaty simcoe notes. There is some toasty brown malt in the background as well, though it is thoroughly dominated by the hops.

T - Thick, toasty amber malt up front with lots of grapefruit hop flavor. More caramel and toffee comes out in the middle and there is a bit of pine to the hop character here as well. It finishes with a moderately sweet, lingering, candy-like caramel note that is complimented by fruity orange and grapefruit hop flavors and balanced by moderate bitterness and a bit of charred, toasted malt.

D - Very drinkable, especially for a beer of this strength. I honestly wouldn't have guessed that this beer was as strong as it is; 7-8% maybe, but not 9.5%, there is some warmth in the finish, but otherwise it hides its alcohol very well. The hop aroma is truly excellent, really one of the best smelling red ales I have come across, it even stands up to the likes of Green flash and other west coast reds. The flavor profile is a bit more subdued in the hop department, with a more intense malt character, though it has a lot of grapefruit in the finish to keep you on your toes. Overall, it is a extraordinarily well balanced beer with a lot of flavor and an inappropriately high level of drinkablity for something so strong.

22oz BomberA) Pours with a two finger tan head. Settles slowly leaving creamy lacing at edge of the glass and on the drink down. Clear body, ruby in color.S) Pleasant hop notes - grapefruit, orange. Toasty malt aromas with caramel and subtle brown sugar.T) A malty red that is for sure! Dry, grainy, slightly sour and malty sweet all together - a "juiced" red ale for sure. Great flavor profile and well balanced keeping with style but just going into overdrive.M) Medium to full body. Slightly dry. Some warmth from the ABV.O) A great beer. Delicious and very drinkable (slowly that is).

So, I bought this beer because I love King Crimson, the band, and couldn't resist. Simple as that.

Appropriately regal gold foil wrapping uncovers...a screw-off cap. That's just silliness. Getting over that, I screw the top off (oh, I hate writing that), and pour, and get a deeply red liquid in my glass, so the name fits. It's crowned (geddit?) with a thick bed of dirty white foam. Speckles of lace are splattered around the glass.

Aroma has the vibe of an American strong ale, being citrusy hops backed up hard against a firm, cherry-like, slightly burnt, sweetly toasty, candy-like wall of malt. Mighty, mighty good.

The taste follows the smell, with elements of Boston baked beans (the candy), cherry, herbal tea, leafy hops, pine, and a dash of alcohol all doing their thing together. It's all mingled well, not one component jutting out further than the other. Bitter, resiny flavor left hanging out in the finish.

Despite a certain stickiness, this is a little thinner than everything else going on. Looks good, smells strong, tastes full...and feels a little thin. But that's okay, it's not exactly watery, and I like that the carbonation is relatively mellow.

It always comes back to the question: WWFD? (What Would Fripp Do?) Would he like this beer? Would he brew a beer like this? Will Crimson ever put another album out? In any case, this drinks like a decent American strong ale, and at 9% (that's what the bottle says) it might as well be. A very good effort, and even more impressive, it's USDA Organic.

Poured from a 22oz brown bomber into a clear, stemmed, glass goblet. No freshness date. Sampled as a result of the wise buying of my good friend Erinn -- thanks.

A: Burnished red/amber with 1-finger beige, tightly bubbled head with decent retention and a few spots of lacing.

S: A bit grainy but hefty caramel and a strong does of citrus-orange hoppiness. The alcohol is just a sting of the nostrils.

T: Unfortunately, the alcohol dominates this brew pretty severely. The woody character, while mixing pretty well with the biscuit, caramel nature of the malts, still overwhelms most everything else. The bitterness is also above-the-line and doesn't match up well with the strong alcohol component.

M: Reasonably smooth with medium carbonation and full body.

O: Needs some time to come around -- way too alcoholic at this point to the point that the maltiness is not very complex with toffee-caramel with some biscuit tones and hoppiness is straight raw bitterness. I have not had good luck with this style overall -- way too alcoholic with loss of malt subtlety.

A deep reddish brown color and plenty of cream head that left nice lacing. Mouthfeel is good.

Complex and deep malty, slightly sweet taste with piney hops to produce good balance. None of the alcohol taste that I often find in beers above 9%. But drinkable? I will have another on any day it is available. Too bad it is a limited release.